Dream Until Your Dream Comes True
by sunshinearmin
Summary: My last contribution for AruAni weeks 2017. The prompt was Confession


**Dream Until Your Dreams Come True**

They drove 19 hours to get to the ocean. Armin drove most of the way, but after about 14 hours, Annie insisted on taking over. He looked exhausted. He always looked exhausted. He didn't sleep much. He worked far too many hours. But when he suddenly found himself with a week off, Annie knew they had to do something. So, they packed up the car and just left with little planning.

He resisted for a while, trying to stay awake to keep her company, but eventually tiredness overcame him and he fell asleep. Annie kept glancing at him while she drove. She'd always loved to watch Armin sleep, from that first night all those years ago. There was something otherworldly about him when he slept. Something ethereal. It made her feel at peace.

She had been lost before she found him. A tormented soul filled with regret, and bitter towards the world. She'd never felt like she was in charge of her life, other people were always making the decisions for her. Her dad, her uncle, the bosses. They'd all set her on a dark path that she didn't know how to get off of. And then, a blond haired angel had tumbled into her life, quite literally.

He'd tripped over her sitting in the hallway one day. She'd been so angry until she saw his face. He had a face no one could stay angry at. It hadn't taken her long to fall in love. And then one day, he offered her a hand and asked her to come with him. He'd given her a choice. She took his hand, and they ran. She never asked who he was running from, and he never asked her the same. They just ran and never looked back.

And now they had made it to where Armin had always dreamed of. It was four in the morning when Annie parked the car. Armin stirred as the motion ceased. "Hey." She said softly, shutting the car off. "We're here."

"Really?" he was wide awake then, and looked out the window. "I don't see it."

"We have to walk over the dunes." She undid her seatbelt and got out of the car. Armin did the same, and the wonder on his face made her want to kiss him.

"Waves. That's the sound of waves." He gasped, looking at her. She walked around the car and took his hand. Together, they started over the dune. It was a good thing there was a full moon so they could see. When they came over the top and saw it for the first time, tears sprung into her eyes. The look of pure joy, of childlike wonder on Armin's face swelled her heart.

"Hey." Armin said, seeing her tears immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, smiling through her tears. "I'm just so happy."

"Come here." He pulled her into a hug, and Annie buried her face in his neck. Besides the salty scent of the sea air, there was the familiar scent of Old Spice and spearmint toothpaste. The scent of Armin. The scent of home.

After a moment, she pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Let's go down." They pulled off their shoes and socks, and rolled their pants up and started walking down the beach towards the water. The pair dropped their shoes in the sand and hand in hand stepped onto the shoreline. Annie watched the water roll in and let out a little shriek as it rolled over her feet and ankles. "It's cold!" she exclaimed, retreating several steps.

Armin laughed and tugged her closer. "It's not that bad."

"No, Armin-" she let out a gasp as another wave rolled in.

"I think we should go out farther."

"I think we should not."

"It's like a pool, Annie. You just gotta jump in, then it won't feel so bad."

"It's night, Armin. We can't see-"

"Oh, don't be a worry wart." He seized her around the middle and lifted her up off the sand.

"What are you doing? Put me – Eek!" She lifted her legs as Armin waded out into knee deep water. "Armin!"

"Annie, do you trust me?" his voice was in her ear. She didn't think he'd ever asked her that before. Up until that moment, she wouldn't have known the answer.

"Yes. Yes, I trust you."

"Then, put your feet down."

Slowly, Annie did just that. The water was going out, and there was a weird sensation of water and sand and seashells swirling around her feet. She heard the next wave coming in and spun around, grabbing handfuls of Armin's shirt. It hit them hard. "Ooph!" She exclaimed. Annie felt Armin's grip on her waist tighten. In that moment, she truly felt her trust in Armin. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He loved her. Annie looked at his face and he just looked so happy that she leaned up and kissed him. That lasted until the next wave rolled in. They weren't balanced for this one, and they both landed on their asses.

Armin looked at her and laughed. She couldn't help but laugh too. Armin had an infectious laugh. It was like a melody she never wanted to stop hearing. "Argh!" he exclaimed as another wave rolled over them.

Annie let out a shriek and closed her eyes. The salt water got in her nose and it burned. Suddenly, she felt familiar hands lift her up at her back and her knees. She opened her eyes to see Armin, his hair wet and clinging to his face. Her eyes began to water. "Ow! It's in my nose!"

Armin carried her in past the waves and sat down, Annie cradled on his lap. "That was amazing."

She blinked through her watering eyes to look at him. "Yeah, it kind of was."

He smiled at her. "I think that's the closest thing to a compliment that I'm going to get out of you."

"With sea water up my nose it is." She smiled back at him. A tear slid down her cheek.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wiping it away.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." She replied, wrapping her arms around his neck. Everything they had been through, all the hard times, she decided they were worth it because they got her to this place, at this time, with this man. "I love you, Armin."

"And I love you, Annie." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Oh look."

She turned her head to look, and there on the horizon was the first spot of color. The sun beginning to rise over the ocean. The beauty of the moment was not lost on Annie, and she felt compelled to say something that had been on her mind for weeks. No, months even. "Armin, I love you more than I know how to put into words. You are my first thought in the morning and my last thought at night. You are…home. You're my home and it doesn't matter where we go or what we do, as long as we're together. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, whether that's 50 hours or 50 years."

"I think you put it into words rather well."

She stared at his face. "Marry me. Right here. Or at the courthouse, or wherever else you want to. Just…just marry me."

"Okay." Armin said, looking into her eyes. "I'll marry you wherever you'd like, hwoever many times you'd like. I love you, Annie."

She felt tears spring into her eyes, not caused by ocean water this time. Armin cupped her face, and kissed her deeply. She lay back on the sand, Armin leaning over her. They were only vaguely aware of the sun coming up, filling the world with light and color. For the first time since she was small, Annie actually felt herself dreaming about the future. The future she'd have with Armin.


End file.
